There are a considerable number of devices and prior art for preventing human (and/or mammalian) contact with flying insects, but very few devices and/or prior art exists for preventing human and mammalian contact with Acari. For combating flying insects the prior art discloses various devices and strategies including: (1) block, (2) block and hold away, and (3) block and poison.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,263 discloses methods and devices for simply blocking flying insects. Prior representative flying insect patents with a simple blocking strategy further include U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,510. These references disclose devices that utilize netting to block, for example, mosquito contact. However, a drawback of these inventions is that the flying insects, in particular mosquitoes may continue to sting through the netting. Thus, these inventions are at least partially ineffective.
A second strategy for combating flying insects is to block the flying insects while simultaneously holding the blocking mechanism away from the human body. This strategy solves the above mentioned problem of mosquitoes stinging through the netting. U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,850 is representative of this approach. A similar “block and hold away” strategy is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0048291 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,375. It is notable that both U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,412 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2013/0232676 use spacer fabric(s) as the method to hold the blocking mechanism away from the body. Here, the spacer fabric serves as a breathable spacer layer that is effective in preventing mosquitoes from stinging through the net.
A third strategy for combating flying insects is “block and poison” as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2013/0291275 (Radefeldt). Similar to Radefeldt, yet exclusively targeting the Ixodes genus of Acari, is U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,802 (Drake). Drake teaches a tick barrier system for a pair of pants. The pants have an integral inner gaiter that fits snugly around the wearer's ankle and are stitched to the inside of the pant leg. The prevention strategy is to prevent Ixodae contact with the wearer's skin by creating a cavity where the Ixodae are frustrated in their attempt to find skin. Presumably the Ixodae never find the path up the outside of the pant leg and either drop off or are removed after careful post-wear inspection. Drake, similar to Radefeldt, has an impede-and-divert approach absent the poison aspect of Radefeldt.
There are many similar drawbacks to Radefeldt and Drake in combating Acari. The primary problem is that questing Ixodae, generally traverse from a height of 2 to 8 inches off the ground, and therefore will easily climb onto the exterior of the pant leg, avoiding altogether the impede-divert mechanism of the inner pant legs. The pant legs of Radefeldt and Drake will do little to stop questing Acari from climbing onto the respective garments. Furthermore, and again from the perspective of the present invention, these garments, aside from the fundamental flaw of providing a convenient way for Ixodae to climb on to the outside of the garment, and while they are designed to be durable, also fail in being easy to use, comfortable, attractive and inexpensive for the user simply looking to avoid parasitic Acari.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,939 (Arber), like Drake, addresses directly the avoidance of the parasitic Ixodes genus of Acari. Arber teaches a disposable onetime use legging made of paper with upper and lower elastic bands that hold the Ixodae-repelling covering in place on the wearer's leg, for preventing bites by causing Ixodae to climb across externally mounted adhesive strips which capture them. The prevention strategy is that Ixodae will (1) climb onto the host from the foot and (2) will be captured by adhesive strips, and (3) will be rendered harmless when the device is disposed. It is a one time use item. It is intended to be worn with shoes or boots and with the wearer's legs covered. Again, considered from the perspective of the current invention, the trap-and-discard approach of Arber, while possibly effective for trapping Ixodae, fails in being easy to use, comfortable, durable, attractive, and inexpensive.
Finally, U.S. Patent Application No. 2014/0283560 (Patton) discloses an ixodicidally treated-knit sleeve (i.e., a poison only approach) to be used as a leg or forearm covering.
While the above discussed prior art, discloses methods and devices of diverting and/or killing flying insects (and in some instances Acari), more effective devices and methods of impeding Acari movement and/or killing Acari are needed, SUMMARY
Disclosed is a parasitic Acari barrier fabric that provides a more effective approach for exposing Acari to greater amounts of acaricide as they traverse up the legs of wearers by impeding and diverting Acari movement with an impedimentary surface area of high wales and a diversionary field of deep pores attractive to exploration, backed by an impenetrable inner surface. The disclosed barrier fabric(s) and devices utilize an impede-divert-poison strategy that is far more effective than a poison only strategy. The disclosed fabrics and devices utilize this impede-divert-poison strategy with impedimentary wales and diversionary pores (openings) while concurrently providing comfort, durability, re-usability, and pleasing aesthetics that appeal to a wide range of users.
Specifically disclosed are parasitic Acari barrier fabric(s) adapted to impede parasitic Acari movement, trap parasitic Acari, and/or exterminate parasitic Acari thereon or therein. The fabric includes an outer face formed from open mesh construction having evenly spaced openings (pores) formed thereon that are adapted for passing parasitic Acari from outside the fabric to inside the fabric, each opening having a diameter ranging from 3 to 5 mm; an inner face spaced apart from the outer face, the inner face is breathable and configured for moisture vapor transmission from a wearer's skin therethrough but is impenetrable to parasitic Acari passed to the inside of the fabric; and an intermediate spacer that extends between and interconnects the inner face to the outer face to form the parasitic Acari barrier fabric. Each opening of the outer face, the inner face, and intermediate spacer forms individual compartments inside the fabric configured to impede parasitic Acari movement, trap and/or exterminate parasitic Acari therein.
In certain aspects, the evenly spaced openings of the outer face have a density ranging from 1 to 9 openings/cm2.
In certain aspects, the intermediate spacer has a length ranging from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm in a direction extending from the inner face to the outer face.
In certain aspects, the intermediate spacer is formed of V needle stitch construction.
In certain aspects, each yarn in the intermediate spacer has an angle of intercept ranging from 45° to 85°.
In certain aspects, the inner face is formed of pillar inlay stitch construction.
In certain aspects, the inner face has a moisture vapor transmission rate ranging from 0.020 to 2.0 kPa s/m under ambient conditions.
In certain aspects, the fabric has an overall thickness ranging from about 0.5 to 10 mm in a relaxed state.
In certain aspects, at least one of the outer face, inner face, and intermediate spacer are treated with an acaricide, and in this aspect, the acaricide is microencapsulated.
In certain aspects, at least any two of the outer face, inner face, and intermediate spacer are treated with an acaricide, and in this aspect, the acaricide is microencapsulated.
In certain aspects, each of the outer face, inner face, and intermediate spacer are treated with an acaricide, and in this aspect, the acaricide is microencapsulated.
In certain aspects, the fabric further includes a tubular body configured for donning on a wearer's limb.
In certain aspects, the tubular body is a gaiter.
In certain aspects, the fabric is a puttee configured for wrapping around a wearer's limb or appendage.
Embodiments of the invention can include one or more or any combination of the above features and configurations.
Additional features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present various embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.